[Histonet] Help-Fried tissue

[kristen arvidson]

HELP!!!
   
  This is a very serious matter and we have tried everything.  So I will get right to the point...we have had this artifact on and off for several years, the tissue looks shrunken on the slide and the Paths have a very hard time diagnosing.  When embedding and cutting the pieces look smaller and are harder then their counter parts (sometimes one half of the specimen is fine while the other is destroyed in the same cassette!!).  
   
  So here is what we do and what we have tried to remedy the situation..
  we use recycled formalin, alcohol, and some clear-rite (BR instruments).  We use multiple sized biopsy cassettes (mesh, small hole, and slotted--by the way we do all derm).  We have tried shortening our processing times.  We just purchased two new processors (Leica ASP300S) thinking that may have been the problem and the very first day we used them we had a large number of fried tissue.  We also have two older VIP machines and it happens on and off on those as well.  All our biopsies come in alcoholic formalin.  We use paraplast.  I think I've covered everything.  We have come to some conclusions, we know that there could be air bubbles in the cassettes during processing and we've heard various things about the alcoholic formalin.  So now what?  Any other suggestions would be so helpful!!  Thank you all for your time.
   
  -Kristen

       
---------------------------------
You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost.